Parents and teachers have long considered drawing and coloring a good tool/activity. It is a widespread activity for engaging and calming anxious and disobedient children. But adults adopted this relaxing activity that reminds them of their childhood.
What started as a novel pastime has become a trend spread worldwide. The evidence is that many coloring books for adults have found their way to the top of international bestsellers’ charts. There are many reasons adults color, but the biggest one is that this activity relaxes and has many benefits.
Coloring Is a Form of Meditation
Based on research from the 20th century, coloring has a relaxing impact. It encompasses calmness. And it stimulates brain areas associated with human motor skills, creativity, and senses.
Even the psychiatrist Carl Jung used colors in his practice. He introduced into Western thought the Eastern motif of the mandala, the appearance of which he believed to reflect the human soul’s internal processes. He drew and created the mandala’s motifs, believing that their shape reflected provided a safe space of calm for his patients to bring their Self into sessions.
Several different studies included brain scans during coloring. The researchers concluded that both brain hemispheres activate during this activity. That means that we are using both our creative and logical side during this activity.
Just like meditation, coloring allows us to remain present in the current moment. It stimulates relaxing thoughts and helps us control them and prevents over-thinking. It can also help you replace negative thoughts, patterns, and images in your mind with more pleasant ones.
If you have tried to meditate several times and did not like it or unsuccessful, you can now ease yourself from stress with this activity. You may like it too much.
The Therapeutic Effect of Coloring Books
Coloring has been around for a long time. It gives the best results when you engage in it often. Many mental health practitioners and their clients turn to coloring to ease anxiety. Psychiatrists and psychologists often use drawing, coloring, and presenting different images as one form of therapy with their patients.
Of course, we don’t have to be patients of these practitioners to enjoy the benefits of coloring. Like any other kind of art, coloring requires time to do. As you take time alone, you move away from everyday problems.
While coloring, some people concentrate entirely on what they are doing, while others let their thoughts wander. In both cases, the person relaxes. And when we are relaxed, amazing things can happen!
The state of relaxation, which we achieve by coloring, results in:
- Happiness
- Calmness
- Absence of depression and anxiety
- A reduction in blood pressure
- A decrease in fear and anger
- The elimination of headaches
- The elimination of digestive disorders
- Brain stimulation – helps us in solving our problems faster
- It tames our mind – it doesn’t allow us to overthink
- Improved focus and concentration
- Embraces our inner child
- Increases self-awareness
- Strengthens self-confidence
